The job of a personal trainer can be highly rewarding; you're helping people get into shape and feeling better about themselves every day. As with any career that focuses on helping individuals, there are a ton of details to constantly keep track of. Freelance personal trainers and those that own their own companies are kept especially busy with managing appointments, tracking clients' progress, creating new exercise routines and meal plans, and staying on top of business growth and income.

As the rest of the world goes digital, so too does the world of personal training. And, luckily, there are dozens of iPhone apps out there to help you maintain and even expand your business. Below you'll find details on the top 5 apps that can help you with everything from scheduling and communication with clients, providing classes online, taking payment and managing finances, and producing a superior social media marketing strategy to help you get noticed.

Method 1: Trainerize

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How it Works

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Trainerize is an app that helps personal trainers connect with their clients, anywhere in the world. Whether you're training a client exclusively online, in-person or both this app makes it easy to run a paperless business.

There is a basic free version that gives you your own site and the ability to deliver workouts online, but it only allows for one client. For $18 a month (the Pro version) you'll get all the features of the free version, plans for 2-15 clients, access to custom branding, and more. There's also a Studio version available at $54 per month, which allows for up to 200 clients and allows you to custom brand the mobile app. This review will focus on the Pro version.

By affording such flexibility on where and when clients can be trained, Trainerize is ideal for personal trainers looking to expand their business globally. Clients with busy schedules will love the fact that they can train almost anywhere and are more likely to continue with their programs. Download here.

The free version allows you to connect up to 4 social media accounts (1 per platform) and setup 10 scheduled posts per account. The Awesome Plan is $9.99 (USD) per month, connects up to 10 accounts, and allows for 100 scheduled posts. The Small Business Plan is $99.99 (USD) per month, connects up to 25 accounts, allows for 2000 scheduled posts, and more.

Even the best personal trainers need to have a solid marketing strategy. Sharing through social media is one of the easiest, and cheapest, forms of advertising. People use these platforms to find and research just about everything, so why not take advantage of that existing audience and most out of each post? Download here.

Method 3: Xero Accounting & Invoices

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How it Works

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Xero helps take the stress out of accounting for freelance personal trainers. The app lets you send invoices, record receipts, and create expense claims and reports no matter where you're training schedule brings you.

At $20 per month, the Starter plan allows for 5 invoices and quotes, 5 bills, and reconciliation of 20 bank transactions. All of those features are unlimited in both the Standard $30 per month plan and $40 per month Premium plan. The Premium plan also grants access to dealing with multiple currencies.

Even for a personal trainer who's just starting out, Xero offers low monthly rates for peace of mind when it comes to managing your own finances. Being able to update invoices, bills, etc., on the go means you're more likely to take care of these small yet tedious tasks more often, rather than letting them pile up and leading to added stress. Download here.

Though the Trainerize app offers payment through PayPal, you need a third party app like Square to take credit card payments. This makes Square a great add-on for freelancers, but it's also ideal (and perhaps more cost effective) for those running a fitness center. Their compact card-reader hardware is much easier to transport and manage than what's offered by most competitors. Download here.

Method 5: MINDBODY

The app is free to download but you must sign up at a monthly rate of your choosing. The most popular plans are the Starter Plan at $75/month and the Pro Plan at $125/month. Both of these options get your business listed in the MINDBODY directory, as well as offering the basic features of scheduling and POS functions.

MINDBODY is similar to Trainerize but built with larger businesses in mind, making it ideal for personal trainers who own or co-own, fitness and wellness facilities. Its prices are higher (yet competitive) than apps meant for freelancers but offers the ability to schedule multiple classes, staff, and share responsibilities with other trainers. Download here.